Öde was rather unassuming as he lingered by the statue. In comparison to the mechanical monument he was thin and insignificant, hardly worth a second glance. It wouldn't always be so, but for now he knew his place, and his place was low. His mother had always made sure he knew his place, but equally, if not more, she had told him where his place ought to be. Of course Reginald had also told him things, and in those moments Öde had learned to value brotherhood in as much as he did motherhood. Still, it's hard to ignore the whispered lullabies of kingdom and conquest that he nestled his head to every night - it didn't matter if Reginald's mother sang the same tune.

For the time being though, he was a fly on the hide of a greater beast. It had its perks, as now, when his attention drifted towards the duo that neared, the duo that had yet to notice him. He couldn't blame them. He was folded into the shadows of steel, having been curling around its backside as their paths crossed. Öde paused, tail flicking curiously as he watched and listened.

He had seen the guardian when first crossing into the frozen kingdom upon the heels of Lena, but in his state at the time he hadn't been much up for a lesson. Now however, he was a boy grown, his fondness for milk a thing forgotten. Under her care his memories had seeped back into his thoughts, his words back onto his tongue, his muscles back onto his bones. Not quite all was there yet, but certainly more.

Somewhere deep inside the blackness, the thirst, remained. Perhaps it would always be there, an unshakable fragment of a year long sickness, or maybe it had always been there. No light without darkness, he thought ruefully.

As the bay began to explain Öde stepped forward into view, crimson eyes sliding between the pair with open intrigue. He stayed quiet, his fascination internalized, his position meek. He hadn't met either of them, so he chose not to act blindly. He liked a game like any other colt, but for now it was better to learn of the players. Already he could tell the stallion was the more familiar of the two by the way he spoke, but just who was he to the herd?

If all else failed and he got into trouble he could always play the innocent card. It didn't matter if it was a fake or not, his age was like a get out of jail free.

[Idk weird post :x]